As of April 25, Saskatchewan has eight new cases of COVID-19, bringing the provincial total to 349.
Seven out of the eight new cases today are in the far North.
Fifty-seven of the 349 cases are considered active. Eight more people have recovered, bringing the provincial total to 288 recoveries.
There are currently four people in hospitals across the province. Two people are receiving inpatient care and two people are in intensive care.
Of the 349 cases in the province:
• 138 cases are travellers;
• 146 are contacts or linked to mass gatherings;
• 34 have no known exposures; and
• 31 are under investigation by local public health.
Overall in Saskatchewan:
• 37 of the cases are health care workers; however, the source of the infections may not be related to health care in all instances.
• 150 of the cases are from the Saskatoon area, 73 from the Regina area, 65 from the north, 15 from the south, 11 from the central region and 35 from the far north.
• 29 cases involve people 19 years of age and under, while the remainder are adults.
• 125 cases are in the 20-39 age range; 118 are in the 40-59 age range; 66 are in the 60-79 age range; and 11 are in the 80-plus range.
• 51 per cent of the cases are males and 49 per cent are females.
• Four deaths related to COVID-19 have been reported to date.
To date, 27,232 COVID-19 tests have been performed in the province. As of April 22, 2020, when other provincial and national numbers are available from the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), Saskatchewan’s per capita rate was 20,864 people tested per million population and exceeds the national rate of 16,497 people tested per million population.
Yesterday, following consultation with the mayor of La Loche and other northern leaders, Saskatchewan’s chief medical health officer Dr. Shahab signed a Public Health Order restricting all non-critical travel into and out of northern Saskatchewan, specifically the Northern Saskatchewan Administration District.
Dr. Shahab is also issuing a strong recommendation against non-essential travel between communities within northern Saskatchewan.
The province is continuing to increase testing and contact tracing in the La Loche area and is working closely with community leaders to ensure everyone who is required to do so is able to self-isolate.
Case surveillance and testing information, including regional locations of confirmed cases, is available at www.saskatchewan.ca/COVID19.
If you are experiencing fever, cough or shortness of breath, contact HealthLine 811 or your family physician for advice on whether you should be tested for COVID-19. You can also take the online self-assessment tool at https://www.saskatchewan.ca/government/health-care-administration-and-provider-resources/treatment-procedures-and-guidelihttps://www.saskatchewan.ca/government/health-care-administration-and-provider-resources/treatment-procedures-and-guidelines/emerging-public-health-issues/2019-novel-coronavirus/covid-19-self-assessmentnes/emerging-public-health-issues/2019-novel-coronavirus/covid-19-self-assessment.
General public inquiries may be directed to COVID19@health.gov.sk.ca.